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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. game — a match
  4. can — a tin
  5. game — wild animals
  6. can — a tin
  7. current — electric
  8. present — the time now
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. current — happening now
  11. present — there
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. track — a song
  14. branch — a division
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. cap — a hat
  17. track — to keep track
  18. can — to be able to
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. present — a gift
  21. current — of water
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. cap — a lid
  24. cap — of ice

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com